BESSEMER,
Alabama -- The Tractor Supply Company -- a national chain of retail outlets serving
what it calls "recreational" farmers and ranchers, as well as tradesmen and
small businesses -- recently opened a location in Bessemer.

And the
store already seems to have at least one notable fan -- Bessemer Mayor Kenneth
Gulley.

"I
guess I hate to sound so excited about it, but I told you once before that it's
a man's type store, and every time I go in there, I end up carrying something
out," Gulley said, laughing, during a city council meeting Tuesday.

"I
think they are going to do well, and I think it's a very good addition to the
city of Bessemer," said Gulley, who attended a ribbon-cutting for the store
Sept. 28.

The
Bessemer outlet, which opened for business Sept. 14, measures about 19,000
square feet and has 13 employees, according to a company news release.

Tractor
Supply spokesperson Catherina Davidson said Thursday that the Bessemer location
was attractive to the firm due to the number "of part-time and hobby farmers
and horse owners in the area."

Tractor
Supply stores carry such products as tools, hardware, work clothing, lawn and
garden products, and products for horses, livestock and pets.

Based
in Brentwood, Tenn., Tractor Supply describes itself the largest retail chain of
its type in the United States, with about 1,200 stores in 46 states.

The stores
are typically located in rural communities or in outlying towns in major
metropolitan markets.